Archives for March 2017

Oh my gracious! Y’all! I blinked and another week has flown by and I’m standing here like, how did three weeks just breeze past me?!

Anyone else feel the same way?!

I’ve so been meaning to share some sweet pictures with you from the weekend Emory was dedicated. My best friend and roommate from college, Ann, along with her two oldest kiddos came over from GA {a 5 hr drive mind you!} and my sweet daddy was here.

That Saturday we spent some time at the zoo…where I managed to snap a few pics. First of Ann with her kiddos checking out the penguins {WHY does it smell SO BAD in there?!}

Then we hung out watching the grizzly bears wrestle…

Eliza Jane was imitating a giraffe here I think ;)

The feeding of the goats never gets old…for kids or adults!

So here’s a funny story I’m remembering from that Saturday. We thought we’d be so smart and go to Dave and Busters on OPENING weekend – at 5:30. Y’all. They had a THREE HOUR wait for a table. Hello? Nothankyou. We went to our favorite local Mexican restaurant for cheese dip and quesadillas instead.

On Sunday I was so delighted that we got to have professional pictures taken by a fellow Sunday School friend – Robin Huber Photography.

You can’t really tell, but my bracelet {on the wrist sort of under Emory ↑} is a tribute to my Momma. Thanks to a good friend who sells KEEPI have several charms that remind me of her.

Then there were these from the service…and please look at that precious {hilarious!} look on Emory’s face!

One of my favorite pictures from the day is this one that Andrew snapped of me and our little man as we waited for the service to begin. His face is just too sweet for words!

My prayer for Emory, as well as Reynolds and Eliza Jane, is that they come to know the Jesus I know. He’s more than just a man in a story. He saved my soul. He’s been the lifter of my face on many a cloudy day. He reminds me that I am a child of the living God. And not to be cheesy, but lets just be honest: I am kind of cheesy…, this song is my jam.

Once again I’m so thankful for friends and family who came to celebrate this special day with us. It meant more to us than I can ever tell any of you.

Andrew got us tickets to the musical Cinderella, along with the additional ticket for the pre-party with Ariel, Elsa and Belle.

We were all so incredibly excited!

We had no idea ahead of time which princesses we were going to meet, but when Eliza Jane came around that little corner and saw that beautiful yellow gown…”My see BELLE! Momma! My see Belle!!” Her eyes and face were lit up with glee.

First we got to meet Ariel, and Eliza Jane was a little shy with her.

Then Elsa was next.

And then moment she’d been waiting for…a chance to hug Belle.

I have to say, I was really, REALLY proud of her for sitting and taking a picture with her!

After we met the princesses, they did a little etiquette class teaching us how to properly clap and say, “bravo”.

Side note, I didn’t have a safety pin with me so I had to use a bobby pin to hold her dress tighter…a new use for an old thing?

And then this is when Eliza Jane started crying because Cinderella wasn’t there and we’d built this up to be all about Cinderella and “other” princesses. It was nearly a #momfail but we pulled it together and got excited again about the anticipation of seeing the most beautiful of all princesses.

I told it over and over again to my girlfriends today how great Eliza Jane did thru the play last night. She sat on my lap, completely fixated on what was happening on the stage. Turning her head just so, so that she could get the perfect view of “My Cin-rella”. In those brief moments where Cinderella wasn’t on stage I heard, “My Cin-rella? Where my Cin-rella? Where my Cin-rella go?” And I would have to reassure her that the princess would return.

During intermission we took a break to watch Curious George with a sweet little girl sitting next to us. She told me she was four, and loved M&Ms. She even shared a few with Eliza Jane.

I tried to get her to laugh or even smile…but this was the best she would do. In my heart I knew she could make it through the second act, but I have to admit that I was a little nervous that a breakdown was just around the bend.

As the second act started, I said a little prayer that she would make it through to the end. Throughout the play I told her how proud I was of her – that she was doing great and hoped she was having fun. “Ummhmmm, my Cin-rella” was often her reply.

The play itself was fantastic. It’s been since I was a little girl that I saw this version of it, and not much did I remember. There was laughter and surprise! The creative “magic” was truly wonderful to witness.

I’m pretty sure I was more excited than Eliza Jane last night. The anticipation of seeing her face as she got to see princesses along with Cinderella nearly sent me over the moon. By the end of the play I was slouched down in my seat, with her head on my chest, but so that she could still see her “Cin-rella”. I imagined her loving it and I think she did. She talked about it on the way home and was so sweet telling her daddy all about the princesses once we were there. She even wanted to sleep in her princess dress, but we decided that there would be an overload of glitter in her bed if we said yes…

Today as I picked her up from daycare, her teacher said that they had called her Cinderella all day. I’m not sure if that’s because she talked about the princess all day long or what. But I sure hope she felt like a princess last night…

Hoping you have a wonderful evening…we’re half-way through the work week!

To all the sweet friends and strangers who read my blog, thank you. Since it’s been a while since I wrote a legit post, I thought I might update you all on what’s been going on, because I guess you’ve been wondering.

Reading: Today I got to read my March edition of HGTV magazine as I sat at the doctor’s office waiting to have my blood drawn. It was the most relaxing 15 minutes I’ve had in a while…

Playing: With my babies. Always. Emory is at that stage where he just smiles all the time and it’s truly the most wonderful thing in the world.

Watching: So tomorrow night I’m surprising Eliza Jane with tickets to see Cinderella…and the pre-party where she’ll get to meet some other princesses! Her face. I can’t wait to see it when she sees the princesses! I just hope she can sit through the play afterwards.

Trying: We are all trying a few things: Emory is trying to figure out how to roll over. Apparently he does all of his tricks for his teachers at daycare and saves none of them for us! Eliza Jane is trying out gymnastics {as many of you have seen on social media – she LOVES it!}. Reynolds is trying out t-ball {and seems to spend more time playing in the dirt…just like his daddy once did!}.

Cooking: Who has time for cooking?! Seriously.

Eating: My friend Aimée made a beautiful and delicious cake for Emory’s dedication yesterday. I want to eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time. It’s that good.

Drinking: I need someone to teach me how to make Starbucks’ vanilla latte. Because it’s all I want. And I desperately need caffeine in the morning.

Exercising: Much like cooking these days, who has time? Actually, the plank challenge has made its way back to the office. A couple of weeks ago we even got our owner to do it with us! Look! It’s sweet Lou! {And Mary, and Breanna and Caroline!}

Calling: I miss talking to all the friends that I got to chat with during the day while I was on maternity leave… Back to texting I am…

Texting: Everyone. I texted a lot of people today. And meant to text others that I’m now remembering that I never wrote…

Pinning: For a while I was doing a lot of post-baby exercise pins. But now it’s back to a little bit of everything.

Going: I’m going to Chicago in a couple of weeks for work and I’m trying not to be anxious about it.

Loving: The sweet family I’ve been blessed with – I couldn’t be more thankful for Andrew and our three precious kids.

Hating: POLLEN. Y’all. There’s a serious pollen storm blowing through Columbia right now. On the way home this evening it looked like fog or smoke hovering over the city. We need rain to wash this mess away!

Discovering: I feel like every time I go back to work after maternity, I am somewhat discovering myself again. In a small way I guess. My work person isn’t so different from my home person, but I find myself trying to figure out a little bit more and more of who I am and who I am meant to be.

Thinking: I’ve been thinking a lot about my mom recently. I don’t know if it had to do with this past weekend, having family and friends here for Emory’s dedication. It wasn’t the same without her here. This morning as I drove to work after having my blood drawn I got all sappy-eyed thinking about her. I miss her voice and her beautiful laugh.

Feeling: I’m feeling pretty good…a lot like a tired momma. But thankful to be a tired momma.

Hoping for: Hmmmm…. This time of night I’m always hoping that the wild ones that are sitting in their beds singing songs or yelling at {imaginary} friends would GO.TO.SLEEP. And that they’ll stay asleep through the night. Yes, the sounds are sweet, but goodness gracious, when it’s 9:30 at night it’s past time to be snoozing…

Listening to: The monitor and the dishwasher currently. Sometimes I feel like we run the dishwasher morning and night but that’s nothing new for a lot of you out there. At work I’ve been listening to original music/scores from Oscar-winning movies. {There’s a Spotify station for that!}

Celebrating: Well, I found out from TWO friends today that they are expecting {sorry, it’s a secret still so I can’t tell you!} and I’m incredibly excited for and celebrating with them!

Ordering: This afternoon I was trying to start a group order for Jason’s deli for my employees. We’re doing a team lunch tomorrow, and ordering in. I tried three times and wanted to quit my job over it. Why was that the hardest thing I had to do today? I finally figured it out, and have some feedback for their web developer… it should be much easier to add an individual order to a group order. That’s all.

Planning: Birthdays! Andrew and Reynolds both celebrate birthdays next month so my brain is spinning trying to come up with celebrations and gifts!

Thanking: I feel like there are always people to thank for so many things. Like the family and friends who drove to Columbia this past weekend to celebrate Emory with us. Or the people at Starbucks this morning that had my drink and breakfast sandwich piping hot for me when I walked in the door to get my mobile order! I was so hungry. Or my husband for just being who he is. He may not get up when the alarm goes off the first time….or the second or even maybe the third time… But he’s right there in the mix getting kids out of bed {with their sassy ‘tudes}, getting pjs off and clothes on, teeth brushed, etc. I’m so thankful for him.

That’s my update for now. Stay tuned for Wednesday night’s post – It will either be about this past weekend OR Eliza Jane’s night with the princesses! Until then, have a lovely evening!

It’s 8:09 p.m. Sunday night as I start this post. It’s been a month since I last wrote to you all, and it seems like that was yesterday. Or maybe the day before yesterday, but certainly not four-plus weeks ago.

As I was sitting in the living room this afternoon talking with a good friend that we refer to as Grammy Carolyn, she said, “Well, you must be busy because you haven’t been writing…”

I started thinking about that word: Busy. We say it a lot at my workplace and it has sort of lost its meaning for me.

The dictionary states that busy as an adjective means: having a great deal to do.

I have an overwhelming amount to do most days. I know this won’t compare to some people, but I did six loads of laundry last Saturday. That’s after having done laundry thru the week. I don’t save it up. How did I have enough for SIX loads of laundry? And then believe it or not, by the following Monday I had another load in the wash. And that’s just the laundry.

Busy.

I have three babies. All under the age of four. Some of you are in that boat. Some of you may wish you were in that boat and some of you are glad you are out of that boat!

We are busy laughing and playing and learning and enjoying this thing call life.

Today Emory was dedicated in our church service.

As I was thinking about him and his dedication, my biggest prayer for him, after the prayer of him coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior one day, is that he loves and lives his life to the fullest.

I hope that he is full of the joy and happiness that his sweet face radiates each and every day currently. And I hope that he is a joy to those who know him.

So as I sit here at 8:21 now, thinking back on all the wildness that this crazy, busy weekend has entailed…I hope to share it all with y’all in the coming days. And that I’m not so busy that I can’t sit down, before another four weeks pass, and tell y’all about all the great things going on in our home and in our world.

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